Many environmentalists have been advocating for better treatment of the Earth for years. While “clean” eating and “cruelty-free” living may seem to be the new trendy thing that functionally does nothing for the earth, when done correctly and on a larger scale they can have a positive impact. But as environmentally-friendly advice grows in popularity, so does the number of companies and corporations who abuse the words to confuse the consumer and increase their own profits.
So, how do you, the consumer, figure out what everything means? (Like, what the heck is greenwashing?) How do you decide which products are actually helping the environment and which aren’t? And how can you and I help the environment in one of the few ways we can, by buying sustainable products over ones that are doing more harm than good?
The best way to make decisions is to be informed. So, I’ve broken down a few key terms that you may have seen floating around the internet to help you decide what’s what in the world of environmentalism and to hopefully inspire you to make good choices for the environment.
What is “greenwashing”?
According to Global Citizen, greenwashing is “when companies and organizations mislead their consumers or audiences by making them believe that a product, service they provide, or the organization itself is environmentally friendly or sustainable when it’s not.”
Hannah Le, Founder of RE.STATEMENT, an online marketplace for upcycled clothing, tells Her Campus that greenwashing can be driven by factors such as gaining more customers, revenue, or more investments. Basically? Money talks and we all know it. So, how do we identify and avoid companies that are greenwashing?
Global Citizen says that the main thing that we, as consumers, can do is “be wary of buzzwords.” Words like “green,” “clean,” and even “eco-conscious” can be red flags if there’s no data to back it up.
“Find out what drives the company to want to be environmentally friendly,” Le says. She adds that their intentions should line up with their business model, rather than being an add-on out of nowhere.
If you feel like a company may be greenwashing, you’re probably right. Do your research on the company and you’re bound to find your answer.
What does it mean to be “cruelty-free”?
This is probably the most well-known phrase within the world of makeup and beauty products. It’s the one you see labeled across a variety of brands, most notably on your makeup and beauty products. And, good news, it means what you think it means! To be cruelty-free, a product has to not be tested on animals in any process of creation for the product.
According to an article for Refinery29 by Ashlee Piper, sustainability expert, speaker, and author, you can spot true cruelty-free products by looking for these two symbols on your beauty products: the Leaping Bunny and the PETA Bunny, since companies can only receive these designations after rigorous monitoring.
Not to make this even more difficult, but some “green” companies are actually owned by bigger companies that may not be as “green” as their subsidiaries. For example, NYX is a cruelty-free beauty brand, according to their website, but NYX is owned by L’Oreal, which is not officially cruelty-free. This isn’t something you have to make huge decisions based on, but if you’re trying to make the most environmentally-friendly decision, keep an eye out for those parent companies.
But if you’re feeling overwhelmed about trying to find cruelty-free guaranteed companies, you can check out the Leaping Bunny Compassionate Shopping Guide.
What does “eco-conscious” mean?
Eco-conscious is defined is exactly what it sounds like: an individual or organization who is consciously thinking of the environment. If a person or company is eco-conscious, they’re aware of their own impact on the environment and try to make choices that will lessen the harm done to the planet. For example, only grabbing one bottle of water and using that same bottle to refill it, rather than grabbing a new bottle each time you finish one. This way, you’re only adding one bottle to the trash instead of three (or however many).
Being eco-conscious can also transfer into choices you make in your day-to-day lives. If you and a friend are going to the same event or meeting, you can meet at one of your houses and then carpool. That would not only be convenient, but it also lessens the gas emissions both cars would cause.
In terms of how companies operate, unlike cruelty-free, there’s no official criteria for a company to earn the title of eco-conscious or environmentally conscious. So if you see a company calling themselves eco-conscious, you’ll want to make sure they have evidence to back themselves up, or you might find yourself falling for another greenwashing trick.
“This is different from being eco-friendly,” Le says, “which is a broad term that loosely means not harmful to the planet, without the deliberate intention, awareness, or concern to be that way.” Both terms can be used to describe different things, but they are not equal in meaning.
What does it mean to be “clean”?
A “clean” product is a product that is free from toxic or harmful ingredients and is safe to use or eat. It’s a product that, according to Harper’s Bazaar, “should have considered human and environmental health, using a nontoxic element as a baseline and plant-based ingredients for active results.”
In a grocery store, “clean” might mean choosing the fresh produce over the processed bag of chips. But even then, you should be cautious about what produce you’re getting (some may have overused harmful chemicals). Shopping locally is a great way to get that fresh produce. Not only are you going to find clean products that are free of harsh chemicals (most of the time), you’re also lessening your carbon footprint since you aren’t buying fruit that was shipped from a different country or state.
An important tip: Just because a company labels a product or themselves as “clean,” it doesn’t mean they necessarily are. A 2008 study by the Organic Consumers Association discovered several brands that identified as “natural” or “organic” tested positive for 1,4-dioxane, aka a chemical and cancer-causing contaminant.
The FDA doesn’t regulate who can use terms like “clean” on their products. In fact, the FDA warns that companies can claim they’re natural and organic even if it’s not true. Always read the label.
What is “sustainability”?
Sustainability might just be the broadest blanket term on this list. According to McGill University in Canada, sustainability means “meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Each of the previous terms (except for greenwashing) are part of making choices that are more sustainable to the planet. Sustainability brings all of this together. More sustainable choices include using less electricity, gas, plastic, etc.
You can live a more sustainable life by finding what matters to you and prioritizing that. If you care about your health, do your research and use products from companies that are doing what they can to keep you and others healthy. If you care about the clothing and retail industry, find those companies that are making efforts to sustainability create their clothing products (upcycled clothing can be really good for this). It’s all about the resources that go into making the products.
Le even says that shopping locally is a great way to shop sustainably. They need support and don’t normally have the resources to cause the damage that bigger companies can.
The best advice you can follow in order to lead a lifestyle that’s more sustainable is to create habits that are going to last for you. Don’t commit yourself to making choices you can’t afford or manage long-term. Make a small change. Carpool with someone more often. Buy a reusable water bottle and remember to use it. Take a shorter shower. Use your plastic containers to hold your sandwiches instead of a plastic bag. There’s a lot of humans on the planet and if we all commit to a few small changes, we might just be responsible for a bigger and more wonderful change.
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